The Rt Rev Mark Davies used his Easter Homily to express anxiety at the consequences of undermining Britain’s religious heritage.

He cited the recent history of Europe to voice fears extremism would fill the void if Christianity was [sic] weakened.

“It has, indeed, been the experience of this past century, as both Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have observed[,] how the most poisonous ideologies have arisen within the Christian nations of Europe,” he said.

JP and Ben aren’t the only ones who have observed that poisonous ideologies arose in Europe. Lots of people noticed that. It was kind of hard to miss. It’s the bit about Christianity being the preventive that’s tricky.

“If Christianity is no longer to form the basis and the bedrock of our society then we are, indeed, left at the mercy of passing political projects and perhaps even the most sinister of ideologies.”

Who says? On the basis of what? Christian Germany didn’t stop Nazism, and secular Sweden isn’t at the mercy of the most sinister of ideologies.

Bishop Davies became the latest influential religious leader to warn of the consequences of increasing secularisation.

And to be dutifully and naggingly quoted by the Telegraph. The Telegraph is really big on this “more theocracy please or else everything will explode” line of chat. I wonder if it’s being held hostage by a bishop.

He added: “They wish to discard the corner stone on which so much good in our society has been built.”

This is such a lie. Two lies, in fact. It’s the UK equivalent of “America is a Christiaan nation” and is continually trotted out by “influential” religious leaders and politicians.

I’d really challenge any one of them to enumerate the good in our society that comes specifically and exclusively from the “corner stone” of Christianity, rather than, say, secular Classical Greek, Renaissance and Enlightentment thought. I think that any list would very quickly peter out…

as if the Gospel had … never shaped its laws and culture and never formed the basis of our civilisation.

I think our legal system owes far more to our Anglo-Saxon and Viking heritage (the latter directly and via the Normans). Our courts aren’t inquisitorial, for example, which would demonstrate the influence of the Church.

Let’s not forget Benito Mussolini who would probably never have become Il Duce without the prolonged and consistent support of Pius XI (Pope Ratti to us…) who, among many other actions, dissolved the Catholic Party which was a large political enemy of the Fascists so that Mussolini would have less political opposition. Ratti’s reward was partly the Lateran treaty of 1929 with all its concession to RCC Inc.

The part of Italy in WWII in advancing Hitler’s aims is not inconsiderable, notwithstanding their early debacle against Wavell’s forces in N.Africa.

Actually, Stalin was raised Orthodox, and entered the seminary to become a priest. However, he left prior to ordination to become a bandit. Presumably because “televangelist” wasn’t a career option yet.